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Constance
Constance is a UEG-controlled planet located within the Barnard's Star system. The planet is classified as Earth-like, though the geography of the globe seems closer to an ocean world. Over 80% of the planet's surface is covered by a salt water ocean with the remaining 20% being above water. Constance is considered a tourist world by many due to its location in the Barnard's Star system while being relatively geologically stable. The planet's claim to fame is that of a tourist destination with luxurious resorts covering much of the coastal land, though communities do exist further inland on the islands. Constance does not have a moon which means that the only tidal forces come from the sun. This unfortunately means that surfing is not popular on the planet. Constance is also home to multiple narcotics rings that smuggle drugs to tourists as well as off world. There are rumours that the companies on the planet have a hand in the trade, but there's no proof to support that. In spite of it all, Constance is indeed a gleaming jewel in space. Once on its warm surface, one is scarcely disappointed. Planetary Description Constance is an eight billion year old planet that was once thought to once be a frozen ball of ice in the distant past. Its location in the solar system suggests that it formed well beyond the star's habitable zone, causing it to become encased in frozen water and dust. However, the planet's fate changed for the better over time. The planet migrated further into the system, possibly due to gravitational influence which slowly caused it to move further and further towards the star. Though Barnard's Star is a low mass red dwarf, eventually Constance came close enough to melt the ice, and its gravity was strong enough to hold the vapor on its surface. Eventually, the ice turned to rain and fell upon the planet, which simply repeated the process due to warmer water hitting frozen ice. The amount of water on the planet suggests that quite a large mass of ice covered the planet in its ancient past, and may explain why a planet as old as Constance did not develop intelligent life. One possible theory is that if there was intelligent life, it was bound to the sea, and therefore not easily able to develop technology far underwater. Much of the planet is essentially a large drop off with shallows only occurring very close to land. On average, the depth of the ocean on Constance is close to twenty thousand feet. Nearly all of the true land on the surface lies in what scientists call the Hadal Zone, a place in the ocean where light does not penetrate the surrounding ocean water, and where pressure is well over 1000 atmospheres in comparison. Because of the complex nature of the Hadal Zone and because of the massive trenches which cover the surface, much of the ocean floor is unexplored and thus there is very little information available on it. However, one of the deepest locations on the planet that has ever been discovered is called the Satanic Gorge, which extends to almost forty thousand feet below the surface. Scientists postulate that other trenches may exist and may even be deeper. Life discovered in this region has been labelled as 'disturbing'. Constance rotates once on its axis every seventeen hours which leads to a slightly shorter day. A planet as close as it is to the star should be tidally locked, which further supports the theory that it migrated inwards and kept its rotational spin. Scientists speculate though that the spin could slow over time. The planet also revolves around the star in 210 days Of the land that is above water, it is a mainly mountainous kind which suggests that it may be the remains of mountains that poked above the ice in ancient times. Otherwise, there are still many flat areas where cities have been built. A desert even exists on one of the largest landmasses. These are not considered continents due to the fact that they are protrusions of land underneath. As such groups of these large islands are considered a continent based on what is below the waves. The temperature is considered quite comfortable with only minimal terraformation required to make Constance completely Human-friendly. Average temperatures during the day reach around 85 degrees, and due to the wind patterns on the planet, this is more or less constant. Even at night the temperature rarely drops below 50 Fahrenheit. Hurricanes do occasionally start, mostly on the terminator where temperatures switch from warm to cold, but few of these make landfall. In addition, earthquakes have been known to cause tsunamis, but most of the major cities have sea walls which rise from the ocean to protect people from potentially disastrous results. Thankfully, these have rarely been used in all the time that Constance has been settled. Human Settlement The Human population of Constance is descended from German colonists. This language is also generally used by the population, with English being the second commonly spoken on the planet, with Spanish being the third. Popular imagery depicts Constantites as lucky people always living in a warm spot of the universe, though in reality they treat their home just as any other. Some consider the apparent paradise as boring. Cities such as Whitesand are constructed of gleaming white stone and metal that shines in the sun. A lot of the culture naturally has to do with the sea. Citizens consider the ocean as a constant friend and a source of peace. Many love to sail as well with young children taking long journeys from island to island with their parents so that the love of the sea is strong within them. Constantites are commonly tanned thanks to the presence of Barnard's Star in the sky, which is closer to white than it is blue. The clouds appear orange due to the light from the star reflecting off it. The entire sight is mesmerizing to those who have lived their whole lives under a sky with a Sun-like star. They love the sun and spending time outside. Due to very little bitterly cold places on the planet, they also love warmth. When travelling off planet, a citizen will make their dislike of the cold quite clear. Constance's main export is not seafood as would be expected, but geothermal energy. Nearly 100% of Constance's electric needs are met through tapping geothermal vents, with the excess being stored in capacitors and traded with other worlds. That being said, seafood is also a major source of trade. A Constantite's diet composes of nearly all seafood, with other meat such as beef being a relative rarity. This is not to say that they dislike meat. They adore it, as owing to their German culture, but things that would be common on some planets like a hamburger are considered a delicacy on Constance. Constance was relatively ignored by the Forerunners, but Humans have made it one of their more important worlds in terms of revenue income. Very rich people choose to retreat to Constance, and in addition to that, businesses commonly have their conferences here and a writer is always known to wander in the black-leaf forests of the wilds, searching for an idea for their next novel. Constance truly provides something for everyone, provided one can afford to stay. Residents * Ryan L. Percy List of Appearances * Mentioned Frequently in all works of ''The Chaos Chronicles. '' Category:Planet Category:Locations